Springfield – JFS is excited to announce the appointment of Gabriela Sheehan as our new Berkshires Resettlement Coordinator. Gabriela comes to JFS with an M.Ed in Career and Technical Education from Northern Arizona University, and over 10 years’ experience teaching in the Pittsfield public school system. In addition, Gabriela served on the United Educator of Pittsfield Board for 2 years, and recently taught ESL to multilingual students, grades 5 – 8 at Du Bois Middle School.
Gabriela will be joining our New American Program to facilitate the reception and placement of Afghan evacuees in Berkshire County, including coordinating with legal, housing, education, government, advocacy, social service agencies and businesses to advance opportunities for refugees to survive, integrate and thrive in Berkshire County. Gabriela will also be working closely with our volunteer leaders and organizations taking part in resettlement efforts.
Gabriela credits growing up in a multilingual, bicultural home, and her late father, Ramiro Guerrero, who was a champion for justice for the Latino Community in the Berkshires, for giving her the incentive to become a strong advocate for immigrant families. She looks forward to sharing her passion for cultural diversity with the greater community. “The change to work more directly with families and join the community groups that have been doing this work for years, while building a unified system of advocacy for New Americans in Berkshire County is so exciting,” said Gabriela Sheehan. “Those who have worked with immigrant communities can appreciate their value to our society; new students and families from all over the world settling into Berkshire County made this opportunity a great fit for me. My life is infinitely better because of the students and families I have had the pleasure to serve: hardworking, faithful, resilient people who sacrifice so much for a life of safety and opportunity for their children.”
JFS looks forward to welcoming Gabriela Sheehan to our team. Gabriela will begin her position on December 6th, and can be contacted at g.sheehan@jfswm.org.
